Sherry’s most dramatic moment takes place every other year in Jerez. Top chefs from seven countries, many of them from Michelin-starred establishments, compete to create beautiful three-course menus while squeezed into the most difficult of spaces – the stage of the Villamarta theatre.
Under the proscenium arch, they present their dishes to the judges, while their sommelier partners serve three chosen Sherries and explain the matches. From my own experience in 2019 as a judge at Copa Jerez, I can say it is a delicious task. On that occasion, the winning Danish team paired an unlikely dessert of caramelised banana ice cream with liquorice, olive oil and a coffee sauce, with VOS Pedro Ximénez from Bodegas Tradición. It was a sensation.
Denmark won again in October 2023, and deservedly so – the triumphant team paired its starter of poached prawns with beurre blanc vinegar and marinated rye bread, green celery, sea lettuce and sisho with Bodegas Barón’s Soluqua Manzanilla (£25.95 Worsley Fine Wines).
During the event, outside the theatre it is party time. Sherry bodegas large and small pour wines and the Sherry trade mills about, gossiping and glad-handing. When you’re there, it’s hard to imagine that Sherry has been living through decades of decline. Copa Jerez, this theatrical display, plus the conference and winery visits that surround it, has established itself
